Early Years Education BA (Hons)

Early years education is one of the most exciting and rewarding occupations. As an early years professional you can help to transform children’s lives and play an instrumental role in helping to prepare them for learning and later life.

Overview
About the course
Structure
Fees
Entry requirements
Applying

Increasingly research shows the importance of children’s earliest educational experiences, and the Government’s National Childcare Strategy has highlighted that ...’the early years are critical to children’s development.

High quality experiences with trained and committed staff will prepare children most effectively for later learning’ Knowledge about the importance of early childhood experiences is built on a solid foundation of theory and research and modern neuroscience shows that at an age when children’s brains are developing rapidly there is the greatest opportunity for early years professionals to help shape their development.

By choosing to study for the BA (Hons) Early Years Education, you will learn this underpinning theory and research, enhance your critical thinking, learn to become a reflective practitioner and discover the skills needed to facilitate children’s development. A skilled early years professional can help transform children’s lives, a fact recognised by the government which is committed to widening early years provision and making it an all-graduate profession. This means that it is currently one of the most exciting fields in which to learn and work.

Why should I do this course?

By choosing to study for the BA (Hons) Early Years Education, you will enhance your critical thinking skills, learn to become a reflective practitioner and discover the skills needed to facilitate children’s development.

Skilled early years professionals can help transform children’s lives, a fact recognised by the government which is committed to widening early years provision and making it an all-graduate profession. This means that it is currently one of the most exciting fields in which to learn and work.

What's covered?

Subjects you will study on this course include:

Year 1

developing the effective learner
learning in the early years
policy, provision and legislation
social science as applied to early years
interpersonal and communication skills
introduction to research
curriculum studies

Year 2

researching early years settings
professional studies
pedagogy
curriculum mathematics
graduate skills for key professionals
curriculum language
curriculum science
early years ICT

Year 3

career development in professional practice
special educational needs
foundation studies
dissertation
management and organisational studies
contemporary issues in early years

How will my work be assessed?

A variety of assessment methods are used over the three years. These range from essays to oral and poster presentations, and include portfolios, lesson planning and research projects.

What can I do after this?

The majority of the students on this course progress on to teacher training- either a course of further study on a Primary Post-graduate Certificate in Education (Primary PGCE), or through the Graduate Teacher Training programme (GTTP) or School-based Initial Teacher Training (SCITT). Recently, one student has gone on to teach in an early years setting in Japan.

Other students have progressed to work in a range of related early years areas, including nursery management, Children’s Centres, Sure Start Centres, Portage Services within Social Services and as a police family liaison worker.

Careers

Education and training

Year 1: You will gain a foundation of underpinning knowledge to help you develop the skills necessary for the more specialist subjects studied during years two and three. You will study the biological and sociocultural factors which influence children’s learning and cognitive development as well as policy and legislation issues. Finally, you will gain an understanding of social issues relating to family diversity, poverty and ethnicity as well as gaining European and British perspectives on education.

Areas of study: Include developing the effective learner, learning in the early years, policy, provision and legislation, social science as applied to early years, interpersonal and communication skills, introduction to research, curriculum studies.

Year 2: In this year you will deepen and expand your knowledge to cover: the history of early years provision in the UK and other European member states, relationships, services in the voluntary, private and public sectors, and pedagogy, which will build on your understanding of child development. You will also be introduced to early years development in mathematics and ICT as well as personal and professional development.

Areas of study: Include researching early years settings, professional studies, pedagogy, curriculum mathematics, graduate skills for key professionals, curriculum language, curriculum science, early years ICT.

Year 3: You will develop your research skills further and be more independent. This will prepare you for your dissertation; an independent research project. Topics you will study in this year include advanced research aims, which will enable you to develop the skills necessary to produce your dissertation and critically examine research methods. Other areas of study encompass professional and ethical issues such as overcoming barriers to learning, techniques of managing people in work settings and the key issues involved in the care and education of young children.

Areas of study: Include career development in professional practice, special educational needs, foundation studies, dissertation, management and organisational studies, contemporary issues in early years.

Low-cost higher education

Our fees are well below the national average and are among the lowest in the region, so studying with us is great value for money!

Click for more about higher education funding.

Entry requirements

You will need:

160 UCAS Points
GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above. Please note that for students intending to apply for teacher training in the future the requirements for such applications are minimum grade B maths and English, grade C science.

CRB check: As this programme may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, you are legally required to complete a CRB check for which you will pay an administration fee. Further details will be issued as part of the admissions process.

Full-time courses

Applications for full-time courses should be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), quoting institution code S43 and the UCAS code for your chosen course.

Part-time courses

Applications for all part-time Honours Degree, Foundation Degree, Certificate of Higher Education and Diploma of Higher Education courses at South Essex College should be made directly to the College using the online application form or by completing a paper application form and mailing it to our freepost address:

HE Admissions
South Essex College
Freepost SMU 110
Luker Road
Southend on Sea
Essex
SS1 1BR

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